Check out Jeff Brook’s post on poor service: Donor Power Blog: Poor service? You’re busted.
Great links to a scary (but believable) call to AOL and a Comcast tech guy asleep on a couch on hold with his own tech support!
But then check yourself, is your nonprofit giving any better service?
How hard is it for people to get information from you? Is it like canceling an AOL account?
Bad service used to “just” lose customers. Now it’s causing the employees to lose their jobs. This stuff is going out all over the blogosphere now. (Personally, I’m all for accountability.)
So remember, if you identify ways to improve your service, you may just be saving your organization and your job.
A few weeks ago, I reported on a talk by Andy Goodman and the importance of story. (Click here to read that post.)
A few days ago, one of you posted this comment to that post:
I recently found your site. Thank you for sharing these tips! I have volunteered to write the newsletter and other literature for a small nonprofit humane association. After spending many years working in the legal field, most of my attempts at writing look like legal pleadings; a far cry from fundraising. But after reading your post about story telling, I put together a flyer telling the story of one of our dogs. And today we received a $200 donation as a result of the flyer. Thank you!
Stories can be very powerful!
During his talk, Andy Goodman stressed the importance of telling a story correctly.
Most of us in the nonprofit world tell boring stories with really long words and phrases like “disadvantaged youth.” Why is that? We have some of the most exciting stories to tell! When we tell them in the laborious way we usually do, we’re stealing the opportunity for people to “get” what we’re doing. Let’s not rob the world of these great stories anymore!
Good stories have a hero. According to Andy, this hero needs to be a person, not an organization. That hero needs to have a goal, some desirable end result. And the story is getting the hero through the barriers to finally achieving that goal. More compelling stories have more barriers.
Early in his career in writing for TV, a mentor told Andy the way to tell a story was:
- Act I: Get your hero up a tree
- Act II: Throw rocks at him
- Act III: Get him down
The more rocks you throw, the more invested the audience will become with the story.
This reminds me of the first time I watched The Princess Bride. I was so relieved when they were making it out of the Fire Swamp. They’d already overcome years of separation, the Cliffs of Insanity, a sword fight, a wrestling match, a game of wits, the fire spurts, the lightning sand, and the Rodents Of Unusual Size. But they emerged from the Fire Swamp only to be captured by Prince Humperdinck! Act II seemed to go on forever! They just kept throwing rocks at this poor couple.
That’s part of what makes it a great movie. (The book is even better!)
The next time you watch a TV show, see if it fits the Act I-Act II-Act III formula. (Andy says “24” is this on speed!)
And between now and the next issue of EFE, why not craft at least one compelling story about your organization and the people it serves. Try making it one of the core stories mentioned last time.
Go ahead, throw some stones!
Check out the great post The word that can destroy your marketing over at the Donor Power Blog.
I’ll give you a hint: the word is one letter long.
What do you think it is?
This just came across my desk. Hope it’s helpful!
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VIRTUA HEALTH FOUNDATION
_________________________________________________________
Virtua Health is South Jersey’s leading community-based, not-for-profit healthcare provider servicing residents of Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties. Virtua Health is highly successful and has 1,100 beds, 53,000 admissions, 89,500 emergency department visits, 7,000 employees, and 1,600 physicians. The Burlington County and Voorhees hospitals offer OB/GYN services and deliver more babies than any other health system in the Delaware Valley. Programs of Excellence have been developed on a system-wide basis, beginning with maternal child health and also include Oncology, Cardiology and Orthopedics/Neuroscience.
The Virtua Health Foundation is the resource development arm of Virtua Health. With a large Board of Directors and an engaged Executive Committee, the Virtua Health Foundation serves to enhance Virtua’s mission through the development of philanthropic resources and the support of community education and outreach.
The Executive Director of the Virtua Health Foundation is responsible for the design and implementation of comprehensive fundraising and sponsored project programs to support the mission and long-range strategic goals of Virtua Health. The Executive Director generates financial support for service programs, and directs a program of fund management and funds allocation. The successful candidate will direct the planning and solicitation of Major Giving, Annual Appeals, Capital Campaigns and Planned Giving programs. Completion of an existing capital campaign is an immediate priority. He/She will work to ensure the coordination of fundraising activities with the requirements and long-range plans as approved by Virtua’s Foundation Board. Further, the individual will evaluate and coordinate the sponsored project programs with other fundraising efforts.
The ideal candidate must possess a Bachelor’s degree; a Master’s degree would be preferred. He/She will have a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience as a senior fundraising officer with a demonstrated record of accomplishment in raising major gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations. Qualified candidates will have demonstrated experience managing all dimensions of major, annual, capital, planned giving and fundraising programs, preferably in an academic medical center, pediatric hospital, medical center, institution of higher education or a large charitable organization.
For immediate consideration, or if you know of someone who may be interested, please contact:
Sara Brown, Director of Research
Tyler & Company
E-mail: sbrown@tylerandco.com
Phone: 770-396-3939
All inquiries will be handled confidentially.
